Ordinary Wizarding Level: Divination
by Bianca tabbycat
Summary: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Ordinary Wizarding Level: Divination. Q23. Describe a dream you had recently in detail. Then, with the help of your own knowledge, decipher the dream and unveil its meaning.
1. Prologue

**Ordinary Wizarding Level: Divination**

**Prologue**

_Disclaimer: The clock on the mantelpiece could tick till the end of time, but even then, the wonderful world of Harry Potter still wouldn't belong to me._

_Summary: Q23) Describe a dream you had recently in detail. Then, with the help of your own knowledge, decipher the dream and unveil its meaning._

_Dedicated to everyone who has been reading my stories… :) And you too, of course. Come on, don't be shy. You know I'm talking about you. Hey, what are you looking over your shoulder for? Yes, you! You sitting in front of the computer! Don't pretend you can't hear me! Wait… You can't hear me. Darn it – I am such an idiot. (facepalm) Anyway, enjoy!_

_*Ordinary Wizarding Level: Divination*_

"Sybill?"

The so-called possessor of the Inner Eye was nearly invisible in the dim lighting of her tower room. Wispy pieces of her hair floated free and stuck straight up, resembling a cartoon character that had somehow managed to suffer an electric shock. Her eyes, wide and staring, were focused steadfastly on the scorching hot fire that burned continuously, even in the summer heat. Her overly-thin figure was draped in flimsy gauze, with sequins weaving an intricate design of an ever-changing crystal ball. Her fingers and arms were weighted down with bangles, rings, and all manner of ornaments. One must say that she gave an impression of madness, bringing a sense of unease and discomfort to any who have met her.

"Sybill?"

The voice rang out once more, this time with an increased urgency, and a gentle hand rested on her shoulder. Trelawney jerked out of her trace-like state, startled. Her glassy, orb-like eyes darted around wildly before resting upon the intruder.

"Albus! Why, you scared me half to death. I wasn't expecting – I mean, I _have_ been expecting you, but I just… drifted off to sleep." She waved her arm around vaguely, blinking hard several times. Albus, meanwhile, just smiled mysteriously and decided not to mention the remarkable fact that she apparently slept with her eyes open.

"It's quite all right. I must admit, sometimes even I am surprised at the silence of my footsteps." He gave a slight chuckle, his eyes rather unfocused as he thought back to what must have been some amusing event of the past. A few moments passed like this before Albus returned to the land of the present. "Ah, of course," he said apologetically, patting his pockets as he searched for something. "You must be wondering what I am doing up here."

Trelawney appeared to be offended. "Headmaster, with the greatest respect intended, I already know what it is that you wanted to tell me."

Albus chuckled once again. "But of course. I am, after all, speaking to the Divination Professor of my school." With a dramatic flourish, he presented her with a letter which he drew from the deep folds of his robes. It had been sealed with the royal purple wax that was specifically reserved for the Ministry of Magic.

Trelawney plucked the letter from his grasp, and unfolded the parchment slowly. Her eyes scanned the scrawled handwriting:

_17th July, 1995_

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_It has been brought to our attention by a concerned parent that the subject of Divination has been somewhat lacking in the terms of actual knowledge. To remedy this unfortunate situation, we at the Department for the Education and Enlightenment of Witches and Wizards find it necessary to announce that all students at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry taking the coming O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s for Divination be made aware that they would have to take a written paper on the subject._

_Therefore, we would like the cooperation of your Divination teacher, Professor Sybill Patricia Trelawney, to ensure that all pupils will be well prepared for any challenges they may face in the sudden change of events. We apologize in advance for any inconveniences that we may have caused. _

_Yours sincerely,_

_Lukas Brandt, Head of the Department for the Education and Enlightenment of Witches and Wizards_

Trelawney gave a disdainful sniff as she handed the letter back to Albus. "He wants me to prepare the student in a _year_?" An unladylike snort escaped her lips. "The Inner Eye cannot be forced upon anybody, Headmaster. The future cannot be learnt; it is given to you by the Fates. And the ones with the Inner Eye, such as my beloved great-grandmother and I, carry a burden so heavy that it is not possible for any other to understand. It is a gift given only to the best of the best, the strongest of the strong. And while it pains me greatly to do so, I must admit that my students are not all quite up to par." She gave an exaggerated sigh, her shoulders sagged as if under the weight of the Second Sight, and her eyes seemed to display a lifetime's worth of weariness.

Albus simply observed all of this with a neutral, unreadable expression. "Yet life goes on, regardless of which path you are following. What has to be done has to be done." He bowed his head slightly, as if saying goodbye.

"But Headmaster –"

"I bid you a good day, Sybill."

_*Ordinary Wizarding Level: Divination*_

They stared at Professor Dumbledore for a long moment, as did a good portion of the school population.

"_What?"_ Ron was the first to break the silence. Giving a scoff, he looked around at the group sitting around them, as if to seek reassurance that the Headmaster's speech did not actually happen. "He's got to be joking, hasn't he?"

In unison, all of them turned back to Dumbledore, who had an unusually solemn expression pasted on his features. Even the twinkling light in the depths of his eyes had been dimmed, and it was easy to see that even their Headmaster was not exactly satisfied with the recent turn of events.

Ron's hushed whispers continued: "There can't possibly be a written exam; they've only given us a year to prepare! How unfair is that? I mean –" The rest of his protests were soon drowned out by the uproar of the Divination test-takers as they shouted and complained about the lack of time for revision, but the pandemonium ceased slowly when Dumbledore raised his hand.

"I am afraid that there is no use in rebelling against this unfortunate occurrence. Mister Lukas Brandt, the Head of the Department for Education and Enlightenment of Witches and Wizards…" Here he paused, releasing a melodramatic sigh as he finished reciting the long string of words. Despite the tension in this situation, this still drew several laughs and giggles from the pupils.

"As I was saying, Mister Brandt has personally sent me a letter, informing me of the changes. After Professor Trelawney and I had had a long talk on the best way to prepare you, we have come to the conclusion that extra Divination lessons on the weekends are a necessity."

The shock and horror, accompanied by the gasps, murmurs and grumbles, spread through the Hall like wildfire. Naturally, it took a while before order was restored.

* * *

_A/N: Before you complain that this was short as in very, very short, I must defend myself by saying this is the prologue, and the good stuff is yet to come. I promise. Cross my heart. And I am dreadfully sorry (who says dreadfully sorry? I must still be in my formal, story-writing mode) for not updating for the longest time ever. As for why I have suddenly picked up my mighty pen, I'll ease into it slowly like a good writer should._

_The concept of this idea has been resting on a shelf in my room forever, gathering dust that always make me sneeze like… like… I don't know. Just sneeze. Anyway, it wasn't until my dad told me that I just wasn't going to sit around all summer doing nothing in particular, and that I should "get moving and do something!" before I did and wrote this. Okay, so he didn't say those exact words, but the meaning was the same. So... yep. Thank my dad. (awkward moment)_

_Onto another topic. Recently, I've been watching this British comedy series that dated back to the '70s. My classmates were showing everyone this on Youtube in one of our free periods, and I was hooked. It's called "Mind Your Language", and it's about this teacher who teaches English as a Foreign Language to a whole bunch of adults from different countries. Due to communication difficulties, chaos – hilarious chaos, I must include – arise. So if you're into that kind of thing, then look it up! :] But beware, 'cause some of the (cough) content implied is not suitable for children._

_Cheers,_

_Bianca tabbycat_

_P.S. Happy Vacation Time! And may the odds be ever in your favour._

_P.P.S. And to anyone who cares about this: yes, I have been watching the Hunger Games. It was okay. I give it 7.9 out of 10. (No haters, please!)_


	2. Chapter 1: Harry

**Ordinary Wizarding Level: Divination**

**Chapter 1: Harry**

_Disclaimer: The clock on the mantelpiece could tick till the end of time, but even then, the wonderful world of Harry Potter still wouldn't belong to me._

_Summary: Q23) Describe a dream you had recently in detail. Then, with the help of your own knowledge, decipher the dream and unveil its meaning._

_**IMPORTANT: I HAVE ADDED AN SCENE TO THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER. PLEASE RETURN TO THE PROLOGUE AND SKIP TO THE SECOND SCENE.** Anyway, apart from this, I am rather disappointed at the lack of reviews. But never fear – let's try again this time! :D_

_(I just realized I have this way of making everything sound so formal when I'm writing. Is that supposed to be a blessing or a curse?)_

_*Ordinary Wizarding Level: Divination*_

The dark, foreboding feeling of dread that had crept into Harry's mind during his sleep had now solidified itself in the form of butterflies in his stomach. By the look of Ron's paler-than-usual pallor, his best friend was experiencing the same sickness. Even though they both agreed on the fact that Divination was, and always will be, a complete waste of precious time, it was never easy sitting for an examination you knew you were going to fail no matter what.

"Hem-Hem…"

Harry snapped back to reality at the sound of Umbridge's obviously fake cough. He looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of her repulsive smile – which, in truth, was more of a grimace with too much teeth on display. With a scowl of his own, Harry tuned the toad's grating voice out, choosing instead to rearrange the position of his writing utensils. It was such a more pleasant task.

At long last, when Umbridge's meaningless drone came to a long-awaited end with the words "you may begin", Harry flipped over his paper with as much noise as he could make, earning him an annoyed glare. Now, with a smirk pulling at his lips, he started on his O.W.L. paper in a much better mood.

To his surprise and astonishment, the questions were moderately easy. It was mainly a test of memory, with many of its contents copied directly from their textbooks. Thanks to his crammed study session this morning, vague recollections of the material still lingered in his brain.

When he had finished all of the short questions, which had made up around four-fifths of the whole paper, only half of the sand had trickled into the bottom half of the gigantic hourglass. Flipping through the remaining pages of the paper, Harry discovered that there were only three long questions that separated him from the end of the Divination O.W.L. He made short work of the first two, then turned to the last page. He could already taste freedom on the tip of his tongue.

However, Harry hesitated for the slightest moment, and a frown creased his face as he pushed his round glasses up the bridge of his nose. He took in the question:

_Q23) Describe a dream you had recently in detail. Then, with the help of your own knowledge, decipher the dream and unveil its meaning._

He heaved a sigh, and tried to think of his dream from last night. That had, funnily enough, involved pushing a certain teacher – his eyes flickered to Umbridge, who looked like she had fallen asleep at the teacher's desk – off the Astronomy tower and cackling madly while he did so. Somehow, he didn't think that the examiners would appreciate that tidbit of information.

After a few minutes of racking his brains and watching time slip through his fingers, he decided to fall back on Plan B – make something up, and make sure it's as tragic as it could possibly get. In the ideal dream, he would end up dead, in a coma, or worse. In fact, if the dream could include as many bizarre and unexplainable things as possible, that would be even better.

He picked up his quill, dipped the point of the nib into the pitch black ink, and began writing.

_Q23) One night, in my dream, I was standing alone in Diagon Alley. The shops on either side of the streets were replaced with walls of thick glass, like that of an aquarium. (An aquarium is a place where Muggles could see underwater animals on display.) To my right were magical creatures such as Merpeople, Grindylows, and a Kelpie who kept shifting from the form of a Sea Serpent to a giant squid; sharks, pike fish, and transparent viperfish swam ominously to my left. _

_Strangely enough, even though these creatures were all considered to be dangerous, there was a sign with the words: "Visitors Are Allowed to Pet and Feed Animals." Being the reckless Gryffindor that I am, I chose one of the tamer-looking Grindylows and cautiously stretched a finger to stroke its greenish-brown skin, but before I could do so, it turned its head and attempted to take a large bite out of my flesh. Fortunately, I was able to withdraw my hand just in time. The Grindylow narrowed its eyes, hissed viciously, and rasped in the voice of my best friend, Ronald Weasley, "You will regret the day you have rued us, Harry Potter!"_

_Filled with unspeakable fear, I raced towards a reception area that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was around a hundred meters away, and I also had to climb a long flight of stairs in order to reach it. Crossing my fingers for luck, I sprinted at full speed towards the beacon of hope. Without looking behind me, I could hear the shattering of the glass walls, starting with the ones at the very end of Diagon Alley, and the rush of water as the sea creatures escaped from their prison. Terror of being eaten alive by the multitude of monsters lent me wings, and within seconds, I reached the bottom of the stairway and began to climb. _

_After what seemed to be an eternity, I reached the top and staggered towards the receptionist. "Excuse me," I gasped, breathless. The receptionist looked up from her work, and I saw that she bore a great resemblance to one of my schoolmates, Cho Chang._

"_Yes?" She raised an enquiring eyebrow, not seeming to notice the fact that the entire Diagon Alley was flooded, or that there were practically hundreds of sea animals craving my blood. "How may I help you?"_

_I shot her an incredulous look. "Look at that!" I shouted, pointing at the swarms of Grindylows, viperfish, and other nameless creatures that were all crowded around the bottom – no, middle of the steps, since half the stairs were already covered with water. "Why do they all hate me so much? I haven't done a thing to them!"_

_The Cho lookalike gave a high-pitched giggle. "'Haven't done a thing', you say?" She repeated, a pitying, almost mocking smile on her face. "Of course you've done something! Why else would they attack you?"_

"_Well, then tell me what it is, 'cause I can't think of anything!" I growled. Sometime during this conversation, my wand had materialized in my hand, and now I pointed it threateningly at her._

"_Cho" eyed the wand warily, giving a sigh of defeat as she came to the realization that she was left with no choice but to tell me the truth, unless she liked having her whole face rearranged. "The animals hate you because of your ancestors," she began sulkily. "They were fishermen long ago, before even the existence of Hogwarts and its Founders, and they made a living catching the fishes from the deep seas. The sea creatures have held a grudge since then, and they have made a vow to seek revenge on the descendents of the Potters for their captured comrades."_

_I made a face. "And how exactly did they know that I was a Potter?"_

"_Cho" rolled her eyes. "By your blood, child. You have a paper cut on your finger. When you tried to pet the Grindylow, it smelt your blood and recognized you as a deadly enemy. It called to the sharks, Merpeople, viperfish – everyone, in fact, so they could hunt you together. Voila! Thus leading to this situation."_

_It was now my turn to throw a fit. "Child? You're barely older than me, and you call me a child?"_

_She just smirked at me, triumphant. I grinded my teeth in response. "Okay. Then can you fix this?" I gestured at the water, a shudder running up my spine as I stared at rows upon rows of sharp, glistening teeth. _

_She scoffed in disdain. "Of course I can! Who do you think I am, a Muggle? Just give me some time, and put away that wand of yours…Then we'll be set." She smiled brightly. "Just think – I'll be rid of you too!"_

_I decided not to response to her comment, seeing as I would be glad to see the last of her sooner rather than later. I must say I didn't fancy being stuck in Diagon Alley for the rest of my life with only her and these sea creatures for company. Reluctantly, I withdrew my wand and stashed it in my pocket. _

"_Cho" gave me a pat on the back. "Good boy. Now, let me do my job!" she said cheerfully. I decided just to stare back at her with a deadpan face. And since when did the duties of a receptionist include helping customers get rid of bloodthirsty beasts?_

_She ignored me, ducking under her desk to do… something. After a few moments, she straightened back up with a scarecrow as tall as I am. Straw and hay were bundled together to form the rough shape of a human, and it was draped with burlap sacks masquerading as clothes._

_The Cho lookalike propped the scarecrow against the wall, then turned back to face me. "Your arm, please," she said in a bored tone, a small knife in her hand. The light glinted menacingly off the silver blade, and I took a step back. "What are you doing?" I demanded, trying to conceal the tremble in my voice._

_She just rolled her eyes in exasperation. In a motion so fast I could barely see her move, she swiped the blade across my palm. Blood gushed out of the gash, and "Cho" guided my hand to the scarecrow, allowing the crimson liquid to drip on its head._

"_There," she announced victoriously. "All done." With a heave, she pushed the blood-stained scarecrow into the water. The fishes all congregated around the foreign object, and soon there were only random pieces of hay and straw floating on the surface._

_There was a moment of silence as we mourned the loss of the scarecrow. _

"_Now what? Do I go and jump?" I peered down the staircase. Was it my eyes, or had all those sea creatures just evaporated into thin air?_

"_Why, yes. How do you know?" The Cho lookalike gave a cackle before pushing me into the freezing water. At this point, I woke up to find myself drenched in water as a "joke"._

_Interpretation:_

_Sometime in the near future, I shall be trapped in a certain place, which may or may not be Diagon Alley. This imprisonment will somehow be brought about by my impulsive nature, as demonstrated in the dream when I tried to pet one of the Grindylows, which are known for their hostility to trespassers on their territory. _

_Once trapped, I will be forced to face some of my worst fears and horrors, which are represented by the Merpeople, Grindylows, viperfish etc. Unfortunately, since I am overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of these creatures, I will be forced to retreat to a safer place (the reception area), where I will be assisted by a somewhat eccentric character. _

_It is also a distinct possibility that blood will be shed. I will most likely wind up wounded, with near-fatal injuries._

_*END OF PAPER*_

* * *

_A/N: This, without a doubt, must be one of the most bizarre things I have ever written in the history of… well, my life._

_Originally, I was going to look up everything in this chapter in a dream dictionary. Ultimately, though, I decided against that because it wasn't fun copying and pasting bits and pieces from some dictionary, so I just "interpreted" it myself. But seriously, I couldn't believe how people could come up with some of the most ridiculous dictionary entries ever. Did you know that dreaming of eating abalones apparently indicates "feelings of loneliness"? Or if you swear in a dream, it means you need to "stop allowing others to harass you"?_

_Anyway, enough of dictionaries. It's time for you to mark Harry's paper! What mark are you going to give him? Outstanding? Troll? It's up to you, oh-high-and-mighty OWL examiner._

_Cheers,_

_Bianca tabbycat :D_

_P.S. Who would _you _like to star in the next dream? Do you think I should include Hermione as well, even though she doesn't take Divination anymore? But this is Fanfiction, which means I can change everything at will… (evil laugh) Tell me what you think._

_P.P.S. You're also welcome to add some of your own bizarre dreams in the reviews section. Or you can just P.M. me. Whatever suits you! :)_


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